The father of footballer Lamine Yamal, who plays for FC Barcelona, was stabbed on Wednesday night in Mataró, about thirty kilometres north of Barcelona. Mounir Nasraoui was stabbed several times in the Rocafonda neighbourhood, where Lamine Yamal is from and where his father and grandmother still live.
According to sources close to the victim quoted in the Spanish press, Mounir Nasraoui’s condition was serious when he was hospitalized, but he is now “out of danger” according to a source close to his family. “Thank you all for your messages of encouragement, I’m better, kisses to everyone,” he posted on his official Instagram account. Arriving by car at the Badalona hospital where his father was, Lamine Yamal went to his bedside on Wednesday afternoon, an AFP photographer noted.
Three people were arrested as early as 11pm and a fourth was arrested in the morning, local police said, who are also due to interview the victim “as soon as possible” as well as witnesses, in order to determine the circumstances of the attack. The incident occurred on Wednesday at 9.10pm in a car park.
An argument in the street
According to the Barcelona daily La Vanguardia, the attack took place after an argument in the street earlier in the day with men who had approached him while he was walking his dog. It is believed that they returned to attack him in the evening.
Considered the new prodigy of Spanish football, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Euro this summer, scoring against France in the semi-final of the competition, which he eventually won with Spain. He usually celebrates his goals by forming the number 304 with his hands, the last three digits of the postcode of his Rocafonda neighbourhood.
His father also made a name for himself during the Euro thanks to his posts on social networks and his media appearances.
